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Space Cob posted:Who Framed Roger Rabbit Fair take, though I personally love the film, and have seen it many times. If you are at all interested, Ebert wrote a great review on the film and shines a light on the impressive, technical side, that you mentioned in your review. http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/who-framed-roger-rabbit-1988
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Jul 3, 2014 13:15
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Chili posted:Fair take, though I personally love the film, and have seen it many times. If you are at all interested, Ebert wrote a great review on the film and shines a light on the impressive, technical side, that you mentioned in your review. That review made me realize something that should have been obvious, but to my 2014 mind wasn't: the cartoons were hand drawn. I mean, of course they were. It was 1988. But I never really thought of that until you posted Ebert's review. gently caress, that is astounding. After a night's sleep and reading this review, I have a well of respect for this movie now. But the comedy didn't work for me - which is what makes reviewing comedies so difficult and subjective - and that is what I have to judge the movie on when it comes to me asking if I want to watch it again. Thanks for posting that. I used to read Ebert's reviews constantly, mostly for movies I never intended to see, just so I could absorb more of his writing style. I think I'll pick this back up now that you've reminded me of it.
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Jul 3, 2014 16:35
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Space Cob posted:That review made me realize something that should have been obvious, but to my 2014 mind wasn't: the cartoons were hand drawn. Heh yeah, and your take is still totally valid about the comedy. It did work for me, especially Valiant's vaudeville performance at the end and the Smile, Darn Ya, Smile song but I can see it not connecting with everyone. Ebert's reviews were definitely special that way though. When a movie doesn't work for me, and I feel like I'm missing something, I nearly always check out Ebert's reviews and he nearly always helps me get some perspective. It sucks so hard that he died.
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Jul 3, 2014 21:31
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I'll swap a Scorcese with De Niro and Pesci for a Scorcese with a De Niro and Pesci: watch Goodfellas. Raging Bull: holy hell, what a movie. I love how dreamlike it is - not in the sense that people usually think of when they same dreamlike (blurry and lots of fog and full of weird stuff) but in the sense that the movie has no problem just jumping through time, leaving scenes unfinished (like near the end, for instance), and the characters have no problems mumbling at each other, leaving things unsaid, and the sound and the music all overlaps everything, and the camera so often stays tight with the characters as they move around in a daze or a rage... and what a performance by De Niro. The rage is really palpable. Not to mention the one scene where he gets the poo poo beat out of him in the ring - that's about as brutal and visceral as I've ever seen violence in a film. I think the black and white makes things harsher - the blood spurting out doesn't have a cathartic sense of spurting life. Instead, it's just black like death. 1) Man with a Movie Camera (1929) - This replaces Battleship Potemkin - I must see all the old classic Russian silent famous films. 2) Union Station (1950) - It has William Holden, right? So I should probably also check it out. 3) The Wages of Fear (1953) - I've heard so many great things about this and yet have never seen it. 4) Electra (1962) - I saw Kakogiannis' Iphigenia and loved it, so more Greek tragedy is just what the doctor ordered. 5) Scenes from a Marriage (1973) - Marriage! Who doesn't love it, am I right? 6) 3 Women (1977) - I don't know if I've ever disliked an Altman film, but I've seen shockingly few of them. 7) Time of the Gypsies (1988) - What is the time of the Gypsies? Is it the 80s? 8) Trust (1990) - I know nothing of this movie but I trust it will be good. 9) Amélie (2001) - I think I recall that this movie was all over the zeitgeist at some point but I managed to entirely miss it. The poster art and so on looks like it's a depressingly easy movie to imagine but I guess maybe it's better than it looks. 10) Her (2013) - This is replacing The Mater - one Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams film for another. Deshamed: In a Lonely Place (98), The Seventh Seal (97), 2001: A Space Odyssey (97), Full Metal Jacket (96), Last Year at Marienbad (95), Seven Samurai (95), Heathers (94), Raging Bull (94), Stalker (93), Lawrence of Arabia (93), There Will Be Blood (93), In the Mood for Love (93), Tokyo Story (93), The Brothers Bloom (92), Aguirre: The Wrath of God (92), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (92), Sweet Smell of Success (91), 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days (91), Nostalghia (91), Play Time (91), Schindler's List (91), The Long Goodbye (91), Blue Velvet (90), Out of the Past (90), Once Upon a Time in the West (90), Ordinary People (90), 8 1/2 (89), Diabolique (89), The Earrings of Madame de... (89), City of God (89), Badlands (89), Das Boot (88), Magnolia (88), The Royal Tenenbaums (88), Dead Man (88), Almost Famous (88), Videodrome (88), The Exterminating Angel (87), 99 River Street (87), His Girl Friday (87), Cool Hand Luke (87), The Master (87), Battleship Potemkin (87), Goodfellas (87), M (86), Throne of Blood (86), High Fidelity (86), A History of Violence (86), The Maltese Falcon (85), The Big Sleep (85), Waltz with Bashir (85), Rififi (84), Female Trouble (84), Midnight Cowboy (84), Crimes and Misdemeanors (84), The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (84), Touch of Evil (83), The Social Network (83), The Last King of Scotland (82), Amores Perros (82), The Lost Weekend (82), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (82), City Lights (82), Slacker (82), Vertigo (81), North by Northwest (81), Hard Eight (81), Breakfast at Tiffany's (81), Unforgiven (81), Zulu (80), The Man Who Fell to Earth (79), Body Heat (79), Raising Arizona (77), The Lady Vanishes (72), Boyz n the Hood (76), The 400 Blows (72), Gone With the Wind (72), Zero Dark Thirty (72), Witness for the Prosecution (70), The Man Who Knew Too Much (60)
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Jul 4, 2014 06:16
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TychoCelchuuu-Wages of Fear I was unable to find Shoeshine in a timely manner, so I went with another De Sica I had not seen, Miracle In Milan. I thought this was 'ok', and I was kind of surprised to read all of the high praise for it. The story was touching, but for some reason (much as like with Umberto D), I didn't connect with the lead character, which kept me from rating it higher than I would have. There is no denying De Sica is a legendary director, but Bicycle Thieves really was lightning in a bottle. 1. Cinemania - A documentary about obsessive movie watching. 2. Persona - Bergman is a master. Been wanting to watch this one for a while. 3. Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrance - Know nothing about this, but it is a Criterion release and sounds interesting enough. 4. Moonrise Kingdom - Never seen any Anderson, so I think I'll start here 5. Young Mr. Lincoln - I don't know if I have been disappointed by a John Ford movie yet. 6. Eyes without a face - I needed some horror on this list 7. Fort Apache - I'm stealing this one from TrixRabbi's list 8. Red River - I don't consider myself a fan of Westerns, but I can't say I've seen too many I didn't enjoy 9. Cat O' Nine Tails- Next up in the Argento 'Animal' trilogy 10.Assault on Precinct 13- I liked They Live Seen: Rio Bravo, Days of Heaven, Hoop Dreams, The Exterminating Angel, Hopscotch, Letter Never Sent, Stagecoach(1939), I shot Jesse James, The Trial, The Wild Bunch, Man Bites Dog, The Pianist, Viridiana, Badlands. Aliens, Easy Rider, Paris Texas, The 400 Blows, Touch of Evil, La Strada, Fog of War, Gaslight, Make Way for Tomorrow, M, The Bird with the Crystal Plummage, Nashville,Miracle in Milan
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Jul 6, 2014 05:03
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Dr.Caligari posted:1. Cinemania - A documentary about obsessive movie watching. I remember watching this one ~10 years back and thought it was memorable. You'll probably feel like you don't watch many films after seeing it. Contempt - It's another one of those films about a film and the writing process behind the scenes. At times the story in the film (Homer's Odyssey) mirrors the story in Contempt itself. Watching this you really feel like you're immersed in the "world of film" as there's all kinds of references if you look around the screen. Books, movie posters, Fritz Lang incarnate. The highlight was the producer Jeremy Prokosch (Jack Palance) ranting and yelling at Fritz Lang (Himself) about the dailies and then throwing a film reel like a discus. It was a great spectacle and I wish both of them had more scenes together. This is my third Godard film (Breathless and Masculin Féminin being the others) and I'm noticing a pattern that I haven't liked. Each one has had extended tedious conflicts between a guy and girl. Endless bickering with both sides talking in circles. I think it went on ~45 minutes in this one with no resolution. It made me feel like I was being sucked into a sink hole with no escape. If that's the point then Godard passed with flying colors. Procrastination (132 completed): #125 Swades - Don't know what this is about but it's on the IMDb top 250 and on Netflix instant. 4/17/14 #127 Breaker Morant - Heard this referenced before. 4/30/14 #134 Underground - Never seen a Emir Kusturica film but I've heard good things. 5/17/14 #135 Girl, Interrupted - Been meaning to see this for awhile. 6/17/14 #137 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives - One of those films that instantly got a lot of critical praise. 6/25/14 #138 Her - Something about an OS infatuation. 6/25/14 #139 Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Trying to see some newer things. 6/27/14 new #140 Steel Magnolias - Flowers made out of metal. 7/6/14 James Bond versus Godzilla: Godzilla Raids Again - I watched the original a couple years back. I like this title as it sounds like Godzilla is getting right down to business after part I. 6/25/14 Roger Ebert's Top Films 1967-2012 (45/46 completed): 1969 Z - Something about politics. 6/17/14
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Jul 6, 2014 06:21
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Zogo, go watch Z. Days of Heaven: Good lord this movie is pretty. The overall story is a pretty straightforward love triangle, with a woman being torn between her boyfriend and a wealthy farmer she set out to con, but it's told through some of the most gorgeous filmmaking I've ever seen. The shots on the farm especially, especially the pastoral paradise of the good times and the firey hellscape that follows. The plot itself felt a bit odd before I realized what was going on. Unlike the other takes on this kind of story that I'd seen, the movie didn't seem to be taking sides, with none of the three being depicted as the point of view character, and no obvious choice of who is the primary or secondary love interest. It took me far too long to realize that the POV is from the little girl's perspective, especially given that she's the one narrating the whole thing. It explains why the Farmer never gets a name, and the other two's names are seldom used. I got the feeling that the narration was her telling the story to someone a long time after it all happened, which certainly goes with the dreamy atmosphere and the tendency for the whole thing to be told in snippets rather than long scenes. The whole film gives a feeling of wistfulness, as if life never really got better for the little girl after the events we see. _________________________ My Shame List: 1) Rio Grande: Another Ford/Wayne western for the western slot. (added 12/7/13) 2) The Fly: The Cronenberg one. (added 1/4/14) 3) La Dolce Vita: 8 1/2 was good. How about another Fellini? (added 1/4/14) 4) Galaxy Quest: Star Trek in all but name? (added 1/4/14) 5) Birth of a Nation: Continuing the "know thy enemy" series. (added 3/11/14) 6) Rocky: I have no idea how I missed this one for this long. (added 3/11/14) 7) Night of the Hunter: Don't know much about this beyond the knuckle tattoos. (added 5/5/14) 8) The Long Good Friday: Bob Hoskins and gangsters? I like both of those things. (added 6/5/14) 9) Stalker: Solaris is growing on me the more I think about it. Let's try another Tarkovsky. (added 6/30/14) 10) Eyes Wide Shut: Kubrick is a pretty cool guy. (added 7/7/14) De-Shamed (48) [Top picks in bold]: The Thing, Casino Royale, Blue Velvet, Metropolis, Unforgiven, The Rock, Jurassic Park, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Shining, Videodrome, Inglourious Basterds, Battleship Potemkin, Con Air, Mulholland Drive, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Taxi Driver, Prometheus, Pan's Labyrinth, 8 1/2, Casino, Starship Troopers, The Big Lebowski, Nosferatu, Oldboy, 12 Angry Men, Drive, No Country for Old Men, The Exorcist, Ed Wood, Face/Off, Koyaanisqatsi, Kung Fu Hustle, Jacob's Ladder, Stagecoach, My Darling Clementine, Unbreakable, Lost Highway, Man with a Movie Camera, The General, Dog Day Afternoon, Forbidden Planet, Solaris, Triumph of the Will, Total Recall, The Graduate, Chinatown, Children of Men, Days of Heaven
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Jul 7, 2014 13:28
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Nolanar posted:6) Rocky: I have no idea how I missed this one for this long. (added 3/11/14) I adore this movie and I hope you do too. The Grapes of Wrath is a good period piece and contains a lot of heart. I've never read the novel, but I might have to now (I do know they changed up the back half quite a bit). It's heartbreaking to see the Joads get beaten throughout while they keep clinging on a small bit of hope that likely won't pan out. The speech by the mom at the end was truly one was both inspiring and heartbreaking at the same time. The next movie will be my 100th! New List: 1. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - Another movie that lives in lore that I've never seen. 2. Three Colors: Blue - I remember seeing the trilogy brought up quite a bit from other lists. Might as well take a look myself. 3. Oldboy - Everyone always says great things about Oldboy. I might as well actually watch it. This is the original version of course. 4. The Hustler - I haven't seen a Paul Newman movie in a while, and this has always been part of cinematic lore. 5. Modern Times - The last movie in imdb's top 50 I haven't seen until some above average action movie slips in. 6. Grave of the Fireflies - I'll try a non-Miyazaki Ghibli film. I know this gets a lot more dark. 7. Rain Man - I guess I know the premise, but I've never really thought of seeing it. Best Picture Bonanza (31/86) 8. Wings - I've set a goal to watch every movie that won best picture which I'm a bit over a third of the way through. 9. Ben-Hur - Might as well see Heston at his best. 10. Argo - The only best picture of the 2010s I haven't seen. Watched Count 99: Chinatown, 12 Angry Men, Gone With the Wind, Casablanca, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Godfather Part I, The Godfather Part II, Goodfellas, Do the Right Thing, A Clockwork Orange, Wall-E, Citizen Kane, Aliens, The Shawshank Redemption, Back to the Future, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Dr. Strangelove, Raging Bull, Rear Window, The Green Mile, Braveheart, Apocalypse Now, Seven Samurai, The Great Escape, City of God, Vertigo, Blue Velvet, Ratatouille, All Quiet on the Western Front, Mulholland Dr., Sunset Blvd., Bridge on the River Kwai, Memento, Unforgiven, The Usual Suspects, Network, The Social Network, Psycho, Black Swan, The Professional (Leon), Duck Soup, Up, The Silence of the Lambs, The Hurt Locker, Animal Crackers, American Beauty, The Princess Bride, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Great Dictator, The King's Speech, American History X, Taxi Driver, The Philadelphia Story, Cars, Dial M for Murder, Amélie, Spirited Away, North by Northwest, Paths of Glory, Some Like it Hot, On the Waterfront, Platoon, Annie Hall, Patton, Harvey, Nikita, Yojimbo, How to Train Your Dragon, To Kill a Mockingbird, This is Spinal Tap, Fargo, Sin City, Wayne's World, A Streetcar Named Desire, Barton Fink, Slumdog Millionaire, No Country for Old Men, Rashomon, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Wild Strawberries, Rebecca, Dog Day Afternoon, The Departed, The Graduate, V for Vendetta, My Neighbor Totoro, E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial, City Lights, Life is Beautiful, Stand by Me, The Artist, Howl's Moving Castle, Good Will Hunting, Planet of the Apes, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 12 Years a Slave, The Intouchables, The Grapes of Wrath
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Jul 7, 2014 21:12
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I like the idea of this thread, so I'll hop in and see if I can get off my rear end and watch something. marioinblack, Heston at his best is as good as any at their respective best. Ben-Hur, up next. Probably the greatest deficiency in my cinema viewing repertoire is in the realm of the classics. The good old movies that infused the public consciousness in ways few movies since have done: 1. Gone With the Wind 2. Citizen Kane 3. Casablanca 4. 12 Angry Men (sorta, I've seen like the middle third of the movie. Doesn't count) 5. It's a Wonderful Life 6. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 7. The Bridge on the River Kwai 8. Lawrence of Arabia 9. Schindler's List 10. The Shawshank Redemption
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Jul 9, 2014 04:35
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Strobe posted:
We'll start you out right here. I wanted to give you my personal favourite movie of all time, Casablanca, but probably best you get this one out of the way first. Enjoy Citizen Kane! The Player It's been a couple days now and I'm still wrestling with whether I enjoyed the film for all it's references and tie-ins and tributes to cinema, or if it was too obvious and in love with itself. Nonetheless, it was a fun film to watch. Tim Robbins was great here, even if he went from very cool to spooked out within seconds which didn't quite fit his character. The signature distancing shots from Altman was nice to see - you become a natural observer sitting at the table next to them with objects and other people staying in the way. The end result isn't all that satisfying either, but a nice way of circling back on the story which reminded me of Spike Jonze's Adaptation. LIST Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (2014.06.29) - This has had enough praise and appeared on enough lists that I feel I need to see it. I know nothing about it. Amour (2014.02.22) - I've had two festival opportunities squandered due to film print damage. I've waited long enough! Charulata (2014.06.25) - I keep hearing great things and I really liked The Music Room A Few Good Men (2014.03.13) - I haven't been able to handle the truth until now.. wow that was lame. Harakiri (2014.06.03) - I've heard so much praise given to this film lately that I feel left out. I wanna join in on the conversation! Holiday **oldest** (2013.12.15) - the title made this choice appropriate to add around this time of year. The Innocents (2014.06.16) - with Criterion announcing it's release today, it's about time I get the dust off my DVD copy and finally watch it. Jack Goes Boating (2014.02.17) - it took Philip Seymour Hoffman's passing to make his only directorial effort a higher priority.. for me, pretty drat shameful. The Life & Death of Colonel Blimp (2014.06.01) - more Archers is never a bad thing as I've loved The Red Shoes & Black Narcissus Murder on the Orient Express **new** (2014.07.07) - the cast alone intrigues me and Lumet directing is a bonus. De-shamed: Aliens (4.5/5), The Bridge on the River Kwai (5/5), La Dolce Vita (4/5), The Hustler (5/5), Blue Velvet (4.5/5), Close-Up (4.5/5), The Lady Vanishes (4.5/5), Grave of the Fireflies (5/5), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (3.5/5), Oldboy (4.5/5), Gattaca (3.5/5), Children of Men (5/5), The Great Dictator (4.5/5), Diabolique (4.5/5), Aguirre, the Wrath of God (3.5/5), Rashomon (4.5/5), Singin' in the Rain (5/5), Le Samourai (5/5), Hiroshima, Mon Amour (5/5), Battleship Potemkin (4/5), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (3.5/5), Network (5/5), Once Upon A Time In The West (5/5), Sleeper (2.5/5), Y Tu Mama Tambien (4.5/5), Lawrence of Arabia (3.5/5), Amadeus (4/5), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (4.5/5), The Postman Always Rings Twice (3.5/5), Ben-Hur (4.5/5), Bug (4/5), All The President's Men (4.5/5), Through a Glass Darkly (4/5), The Leopard (2/5), The Aviator (4.5/5), Duck Soup (4/5), The Good The Bad & The Ugly (5/5), Werckmeister Harmonies (4/5), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (4.5/5), To Kill A Mockingbird (2.5/5), Brazil (2.5/5), M (5/5), The Sweet Hereafter (4/5), Princess Mononoke (5/5), High and Low (5/5), The Sting (5/5), The King of Comedy (4.5/5), Stand By Me (4.5/5), The Wages of Fear (4/5), Amores Perros (3.5/5), The Music Room (4/5), The Spirit of the Beehive (4/5), Cape Fear (3.5/5), The Passion of Joan of Arc (4/5), The Magnificent Ambersons (3/5), Tokyo Story (5/5), Quiz Show (3/5), Witness For The Prosecution (4/5), The Last Picture Show (4.5/5), Robocop (2.5/5), Grand Illusion (2.5/5), Ikiru (5/5), The Bride of Frankenstein (4/5), The Taste of Cherry (4/5), Eastern Promises (3.5/5), What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (4/5), Le Doulos (4.5/5), Million Dollar Baby (3/5), Akira (5/5), Lone Star (3/5), Barry Lyndon (2.5/5), Dr. Strangelove (5/5), Leon the Professional (3/5), Arsenic and Old Lace (4/5), The Searchers (2/5), Playtime (4/5), Star Wars: Episode III (3.5/5), The Player (3.5/5), [Total:78] friendo55 fucked around with this message at 20:16 on Jul 10, 2014 |
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Jul 9, 2014 15:53
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friendo55 posted:A Few Good Men (2014.03.13) - I haven't been able to handle the truth until now.. wow that was lame. In the afterglow of America's Fourth of July Extreme Estravaganzablosion, I select this movie.  - Goodfellas - Godfather left me cold. I respect what it does and can appreciate it for what it is, but it did not pull me into its world as much as I was hoping. But Goodfellas did! Holy crap. This movie was great. The way it bounced forward in time kept the pace fast; I never had a single scene where I was looking for a clockface. It set everything up so well. I knew Tommy was going to gently caress everything up right before the movie said as much, and when it came true I was fully engaged. What a great ride. This will be difficult to trump as my go-to mobster/gangster/Italians-being-"Italians" movie. - SHAMELIST: (in order of longest time on this list) The Sound of Music - I feel filthy that I've never seen this. Something about Nazis, right? And spinning in a field of grass. Nazis spinning around in fields of grass? gently caress yeah. Wreck-It Ralph - After WALL·E, I want some more interesting animation. And this is right down my wheelhouse. Rocky - The only Rocky I've seen is the fourth one. I would like to see the first one, at least. Rashomon - Seven Samurai was good, but didn't enrapture me. I want to try this one, which sounds like it has a more intriguing premise. Also, only 88 minutes long makes it too tempting. Highlander - I have no idea if this movie is any good at all. So chalk this up to "cultural significance." Thunderball - Bond Movie #4. Skipping Goldfinger, which I already know in and out. Terminator 2 - I finally saw the first one. Now I'm ready to see the sequel. The better movie? Some Like It Hot - I know exactly three things about this movie: it has Marilyn Monroe in is, crossdressing happens, and I think there is a train. Rain Man - I just finished a book on memory and it discussed the inspiration for this movie. Seems a good justification to finally see it. De-shamed (47): Raiders of the Lost Arc; Alien; Blade Runner; The Godfather; Casablanca; Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom; The Godfather Part II; Die Hard; Grave of the Fireflies; Aliens; A Fistful of Dollars; One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest; Network; Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade; Schindler's List; Superman; Dr. No; Rear Window; Young Frankenstein; Jaws; Akira; The Shining; American Psycho; Metropolis; The Graduate; The Birds; Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure; WALL·E; American History X; The Third Man; Blue Velvet; Seven Samurai; Notorious; Lawrence of Arabia; La Dolce Vita; The Jerk; Videodrome; Deliverance; Ed Wood; Mulholland Drive; From Russia With Love; Rebel Without A Cause; Senna; Groundhog Day; The Terminator; Who Framed Roger Rabbit; Goodfellas
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Jul 10, 2014 16:38
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Space Cob posted:Terminator 2 - I finally saw the first one. Now I'm ready to see the sequel. The better movie? I think I prefer the original slightly but it's an impressive sequel. Many do like the sequel more. Z - I suppose it's fitting to finish off the Ebert #1 list with a film title like this. Z is closely based on 1960s events that took place in Greece (the film comes right out and says it). The usual leftists vs. authoritarians scenario with the police and military getting their hands dirty as well. Eventually the prominent leader calling for nuclear weapon disarmament angers some of the pro-nuclear weapons group and gets bopped on the head a few times with billy clubs and dies. I liked the first half as you can feel the palpable rage of the various factions building up. It almost feels like a documentary (similarly to The Battle of Algiers). It has the same kind of feel as some of the 1970s Planet of the Apes films and also The Warriors (1979). I was hoping for more of a mystery but the second half was basically a rehash with a bunch of dopey liars all putting their spin on the incident that we already know. Most of the people come across as childish. The film sets us up by having the magistrate dutifully dissect the issues and seems to be drawing toward a nice resolution. The older I get the more I've veered into a kind of fatalistic/absurdist view of the world so I found the epilogue to be a big laugh although it might enrage and disappoint others. PS Every so often on TV I'll see some talking heads describe 20XX US as the most politically divisive time in the nations history and I'll always get a hearty laugh out of that one. Weirdos acting as if there wasn't a revolution or a civil war here. The amount of US citizens willing to kill each other over domestic policy in 2014 has to be miniscule and even when it happens it's usually due to some psychotic break and not exactly a stratified movement or organized political fervor. In short, nobody cares. Yes, 2014 politics in pretty casual for our history and pretty tepid compared to many other places. Our political leaders aren't fighting in battles or killing each other but in many places it's a life and death matter. Procrastination (132 completed): #125 Swades - Don't know what this is about but it's on the IMDb top 250 and on Netflix instant. 4/17/14 #127 Breaker Morant - Heard this referenced before. 4/30/14 #134 Underground - Never seen a Emir Kusturica film but I've heard good things. 5/17/14 #135 Girl, Interrupted - Been meaning to see this for awhile. 6/17/14 #137 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives - One of those films that instantly got a lot of critical praise. 6/25/14 #138 Her - Something about an OS infatuation. 6/25/14 #139 Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Trying to see some newer things. 6/27/14 #140 Steel Magnolias - Flowers made out of metal. 7/6/14 new #141 Fitzcarraldo - Sounds interesting. 7/11/14 James Bond versus Godzilla: Godzilla Raids Again - I watched the original a couple years back. I like this title as it sounds like Godzilla is getting right down to business after part I. 6/25/14
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Jul 12, 2014 05:28
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I don't know anything about Swades, but go with that Zogo. Cinemania was enjoyable in a  way. It's easy to feel bad for them, but at the same time they seem like they might very well enjoy day to day life (as much as one could be as 'escaped' from reality as they are). But as with Roberta on the edge of eviction, you can only shut out real life for so long. I found the characters interesting and wouldn't mind learning more about how they got to be where they are. 1. Gates of Heaven - I've liked what I've seen of Morris so far 2. Persona - Bergman is a master. Been wanting to watch this one for a while. 3. Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrance - Know nothing about this, but it is a Criterion release and sounds interesting enough. 4. Moonrise Kingdom - Never seen any Anderson, so I think I'll start here 5. Young Mr. Lincoln - I don't know if I have been disappointed by a John Ford movie yet. 6. Eyes without a face - I needed some horror on this list 7. Fort Apache - I'm stealing this one from TrixRabbi's list 8. Red River - I don't consider myself a fan of Westerns, but I can't say I've seen too many I didn't enjoy 9. Cat O' Nine Tails- Next up in the Argento 'Animal' trilogy 10.Assault on Precinct 13- I liked They Live Seen: Rio Bravo, Days of Heaven, Hoop Dreams, The Exterminating Angel, Hopscotch, Letter Never Sent, Stagecoach(1939), I shot Jesse James, The Trial, The Wild Bunch, Man Bites Dog, The Pianist, Viridiana, Badlands. Aliens, Easy Rider, Paris Texas, The 400 Blows, Touch of Evil, La Strada, Fog of War, Gaslight, Make Way for Tomorrow, M, The Bird with the Crystal Plummage, Nashville,Miracle in Milan,Cinemania
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Jul 13, 2014 05:14
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Well, the first half of Rocky was pretty good until the disk crapped out. Take care of your disks, people, even if you're just borrowing them from the library. 
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Jul 13, 2014 05:39
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Dr.Caligari posted:2. Persona - Bergman is a master. Been wanting to watch this one for a while. I absolutely loved Persona and I hope you do too! A Few Good Men It's formulaic. It's got an extremely manipulative score, with hammy dialogue at times to boot. But dammit if I love a good courtroom drama, and the great cast of actors going back and forth was extremely entertaining. Even though I already knew the classic 'handle the truth' line was coming, it was great to now see it in context. You could also really notice the Sorkin-written screenplay here which worked to great effect. LIST Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (2014.06.29) - This has had enough praise and appeared on enough lists that I feel I need to see it. I know nothing about it. Amour (2014.02.22) - I've had two festival opportunities squandered due to film print damage. I've waited long enough! Charulata (2014.06.25) - I keep hearing great things and I really liked The Music Room The Deer Hunter **new** (2014.07.12) - surprisingly know nothing at all about this one.. other than I should've watched it by now. Harakiri (2014.06.03) - I've heard so much praise given to this film lately that I feel left out. I wanna join in on the conversation! Holiday **oldest** (2013.12.15) - the title made this choice appropriate to add around this time of year. The Innocents (2014.06.16) - with Criterion announcing it's release today, it's about time I get the dust off my DVD copy and finally watch it. Jack Goes Boating (2014.02.17) - it took Philip Seymour Hoffman's passing to make his only directorial effort a higher priority.. for me, pretty drat shameful. The Life & Death of Colonel Blimp (2014.06.01) - more Archers is never a bad thing as I've loved The Red Shoes & Black Narcissus Murder on the Orient Express (2014.07.07) - the cast alone intrigues me and Lumet directing is a bonus. De-shamed: Aliens (4.5/5), The Bridge on the River Kwai (5/5), La Dolce Vita (4/5), The Hustler (5/5), Blue Velvet (4.5/5), Close-Up (4.5/5), The Lady Vanishes (4.5/5), Grave of the Fireflies (5/5), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (3.5/5), Oldboy (4.5/5), Gattaca (3.5/5), Children of Men (5/5), The Great Dictator (4.5/5), Diabolique (4.5/5), Aguirre, the Wrath of God (3.5/5), Rashomon (4.5/5), Singin' in the Rain (5/5), Le Samourai (5/5), Hiroshima, Mon Amour (5/5), Battleship Potemkin (4/5), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (3.5/5), Network (5/5), Once Upon A Time In The West (5/5), Sleeper (2.5/5), Y Tu Mama Tambien (4.5/5), Lawrence of Arabia (3.5/5), Amadeus (4/5), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (4.5/5), The Postman Always Rings Twice (3.5/5), Ben-Hur (4.5/5), Bug (4/5), All The President's Men (4.5/5), Through a Glass Darkly (4/5), The Leopard (2/5), The Aviator (4.5/5), Duck Soup (4/5), The Good The Bad & The Ugly (5/5), Werckmeister Harmonies (4/5), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (4.5/5), To Kill A Mockingbird (2.5/5), Brazil (2.5/5), M (5/5), The Sweet Hereafter (4/5), Princess Mononoke (5/5), High and Low (5/5), The Sting (5/5), The King of Comedy (4.5/5), Stand By Me (4.5/5), The Wages of Fear (4/5), Amores Perros (3.5/5), The Music Room (4/5), The Spirit of the Beehive (4/5), Cape Fear (3.5/5), The Passion of Joan of Arc (4/5), The Magnificent Ambersons (3/5), Tokyo Story (5/5), Quiz Show (3/5), Witness For The Prosecution (4/5), The Last Picture Show (4.5/5), Robocop (2.5/5), Grand Illusion (2.5/5), Ikiru (5/5), The Bride of Frankenstein (4/5), The Taste of Cherry (4/5), Eastern Promises (3.5/5), What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (4/5), Le Doulos (4.5/5), Million Dollar Baby (3/5), Akira (5/5), Lone Star (3/5), Barry Lyndon (2.5/5), Dr. Strangelove (5/5), Leon the Professional (3/5), Arsenic and Old Lace (4/5), The Searchers (2/5), Playtime (4/5), Star Wars: Episode III (3.5/5), The Player (3.5/5), A Few Good Men (3.5/5), [Total:79]
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Jul 13, 2014 09:18
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friendo55, see Murder on the Orient Express. Just saw The Bad Sleep Well. Very interesting film. Mifune had his usual good performance. A very solid Kurosawa movie. My List: Patton - George C. Scott is a very underrated actor. Was great in The Hustler and A Christmas Carol. The King's Speech - Trying to see more recent movies. Faust - Don't think I've ever seen a Murnau film. True Grit - The original version. Been a while since a western was on my list. A Day at the Races - More Marx Brothers madness, please. Howl's Moving Castle - Need to see some more Miyazaki. Ran - Heard this is one of Kurosawa'a best, so I am really looking forward to seeing it. The King and I - 1956 version. The Wolf Man - Next in my monster movie queue. The Man Who Knew Too Much - More Hitchcock here. This will be the remake with Jimmy Stewart. Movies Seen: Seven Samurai, Dune, Singin' in the Rain, Animal Crackers, Once Upon a Time in the West, Amadeus, Double Indemnity, The Day the Earth Stood Still, 12 Angry Men, Ed Wood, Sunset Boulevard, The Dark Knight, Plan 9 From Outer Space, Brazil, Rashomon, Yojimbo, No Country For Old Men, There Will Be Blood, M, Duck Soup, The Princess and the Frog, Sanjuro, The Hidden Fortress, Dracula, It's a Wonderful Life, Lawrence of Arabia, Ikiru, High and Low, Frankenstein, The Mummy, Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, Kagemusha, Best In Show, Modern Times, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Red Beard, Monty Python's The Life of Brian, Cars, Cool Hand Luke, The Public Enemy, Time Bandits, Adaptation, The Producers, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Gone With The Wind, My Fair Lady, City Lights, A Christmas Carol(1951), Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, West Side Story, Caddyshack, My Neighbor Totoro, Throne of Blood, The Phantom of the Opera, Yellow Submarine, Little Caesar, The Third Man, The Godfather, Persepolis, The Godfather Part II, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Invisible Man, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Bridge on the River Kwai, A Beautiful Mind, The Kid, Fiddler on the Roof, The Gold Rush, Metropolis, Rear Window, Enter the Dragon, Horse Feathers, The Great Dictator, Despicable Me, The Bad Sleep Well
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Jul 14, 2014 23:44
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Dmitri Russkie, watch The Wolf Man. The Lady Eve was alright but I wasn't crazy about it. A lot of the jokes didn't hold up for me and around the halfway point, after they leave the boat, I just got incredibly bored. There are moments that I really loved, like the horse getting between Fonda and Stanwyck. My List: The Beaver Trilogy (2001) - We were supposed to show this at the theater I work at with the director in person, but it got cancelled for whatever reason. Anyway, since finding out about it my interest is peaked. Technically three films in one. (Added 12/17/2013) Black Jesus (1968) - But what about Black Santa?  (Added 12/17/2013)Damnation (1988) - I've never seen a Béla Tarr film. I know Werckmeister Harmonies is the favorite, but something about this one is calling me. (Added 12/21/2013) Fort Apache (1948) - The first in John Ford's Calvary trilogy. (Added 1/2/2014) Playtime (1967) - Is this an alright jumping in point for Tati? (Added 3/11/2014) Andrei Rublev (1966) - It's been awhile since I watched a Tarkovsky. I liked Stalker and Solaris a lot but didn't connect too deeply with either. (Added 4/19/2014) Showgirls (1995) - Is this actually bad or Verhoeven-style "bad." (Added 5/29/2013) Chelsea Girls (1966) - Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey both make a movie, and then shove them both together. Curious to see how this plays out. (Added 6/16/2014) Akira (1988) - I have a strong aversion to anime. But I'm willing to give this a fair shot. (Added 6/26/2014) Band of Outsiders (1964) - Godard's very hit or miss for me, as I think he is with most people. But this one gets a lot of praise. (Added 7/15/2014) Watched: Harold and Maude; The Third Man; Inland Empire; Godzilla; Big Trouble In Little China; Y Tu Mamá También; Marathon Man; Hunger; A Woman Is A Woman; Black Narcissus; A Hard Day's Night; Scarface; Le Doulos; On The Waterfront; Rocky; 3 Women; Airplane!; Duck Soup; Clash of the Titans; Singin' In The Rain; The Cow; Straw Dogs; Stop Making Sense; Bad Timing; Once Upon A Time In America; Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade; Robocop; Shane; WALL·E; The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin; The Man Who Fell To Earth; Mr. Smith Goes To Washington; Divorce Italian Style; Some Like It Hot; To Kill A Mockingbird; An American Werewolf In London; Buffalo '66; Lawrence Of Arabia; Manhattan; Cul-De-Sac; The Birth of a Nation; Braveheart; Sex, Lies, and Videotape; Malcolm X; Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai; The Passion of Joan of Arc; The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King; Le Samouraï; The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance; Marat/Sade; His Girl Friday; A Woman Under the Influence; Close Encounters of the Third Kind; Rio Bravo; Triumph of the Will; Titanic; Strike; The General; Jules et Jim; Tokyo Story; Once Upon A Time In Anatolia; L'Âge d'Or; Stroszek; Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky; Faust; Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom; Frankenstein; Rebel Without a Cause; Gone with the Wind; Barry Lyndon; The Grapes of Wrath; Midnight Cowboy; My Darling Clementine; Hoop Dreams; Close-Up; Begotten; The Goddess; The Apartment; Hell's Angels; All About Eve; Night and Fog; Grey Gardens; Zardoz; King Boxer - Five Fingers of Death; The Lady Eve (TOTAL: 85)
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Jul 15, 2014 20:46
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TrixRabbi posted:Akira (1988) - I have a strong aversion to anime. But I'm willing to give this a fair shot. (Added 6/26/2014) It was so tempting to pick Showgirls to hear a critical analysis on that film, but I'll leave you with Akira - this more than deserves a fair shot. Murder on the Orient Express What a remarkable cast of A-list actors - Connery, Bacall, Bergman, Bisset, Widmark, Redgrave, Perkins, Balsam - and yet it's quite simply the Albert Finney show! Which normally I'd have no problem with at all. This was a case of a story better left on paper than accurately adapted to film. I normally appreciate the slowly drawn out whodunnit mystery, but the simplicity and repetitiveness in execution dragged for me. The acting was great with Finney successfully being consistently captivating, even if at times sounding more like a caricature. It was interesting to see Bergman deglamorized after my latest revisit of Casablanca shot 30+yrs earlier. Although I'm not sure what won her the Oscar? Did I answer my own question? LIST Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (2014.06.29) - This has had enough praise and appeared on enough lists that I feel I need to see it. I know nothing about it. Amour (2014.02.22) - I've had two festival opportunities squandered due to film print damage. I've waited long enough! Charulata (2014.06.25) - I keep hearing great things and I really liked The Music Room The Deer Hunter (2014.07.12) - surprisingly know nothing at all about this one.. other than I should've watched it by now. Harakiri (2014.06.03) - I've heard so much praise given to this film lately that I feel left out. I wanna join in on the conversation! Holiday **oldest** (2013.12.15) - the title made this choice appropriate to add around this time of year. The Innocents (2014.06.16) - with Criterion announcing it's release today, it's about time I get the dust off my DVD copy and finally watch it. Jack Goes Boating (2014.02.17) - it took Philip Seymour Hoffman's passing to make his only directorial effort a higher priority.. for me, pretty drat shameful. The Life & Death of Colonel Blimp (2014.06.01) - more Archers is never a bad thing as I've loved The Red Shoes & Black Narcissus School of Rock **new** (2014.07.15) - this list needs some lightening up - and I want to finish the Linklater filmography. De-shamed: Aliens (4.5/5), The Bridge on the River Kwai (5/5), La Dolce Vita (4/5), The Hustler (5/5), Blue Velvet (4.5/5), Close-Up (4.5/5), The Lady Vanishes (4.5/5), Grave of the Fireflies (5/5), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (3.5/5), Oldboy (4.5/5), Gattaca (3.5/5), Children of Men (5/5), The Great Dictator (4.5/5), Diabolique (4.5/5), Aguirre, the Wrath of God (3.5/5), Rashomon (4.5/5), Singin' in the Rain (5/5), Le Samourai (5/5), Hiroshima, Mon Amour (5/5), Battleship Potemkin (4/5), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (3.5/5), Network (5/5), Once Upon A Time In The West (5/5), Sleeper (2.5/5), Y Tu Mama Tambien (4.5/5), Lawrence of Arabia (3.5/5), Amadeus (4/5), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (4.5/5), The Postman Always Rings Twice (3.5/5), Ben-Hur (4.5/5), Bug (4/5), All The President's Men (4.5/5), Through a Glass Darkly (4/5), The Leopard (2/5), The Aviator (4.5/5), Duck Soup (4/5), The Good The Bad & The Ugly (5/5), Werckmeister Harmonies (4/5), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (4.5/5), To Kill A Mockingbird (2.5/5), Brazil (2.5/5), M (5/5), The Sweet Hereafter (4/5), Princess Mononoke (5/5), High and Low (5/5), The Sting (5/5), The King of Comedy (4.5/5), Stand By Me (4.5/5), The Wages of Fear (4/5), Amores Perros (3.5/5), The Music Room (4/5), The Spirit of the Beehive (4/5), Cape Fear (3.5/5), The Passion of Joan of Arc (4/5), The Magnificent Ambersons (3/5), Tokyo Story (5/5), Quiz Show (3/5), Witness For The Prosecution (4/5), The Last Picture Show (4.5/5), Robocop (2.5/5), Grand Illusion (2.5/5), Ikiru (5/5), The Bride of Frankenstein (4/5), The Taste of Cherry (4/5), Eastern Promises (3.5/5), What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (4/5), Le Doulos (4.5/5), Million Dollar Baby (3/5), Akira (5/5), Lone Star (3/5), Barry Lyndon (2.5/5), Dr. Strangelove (5/5), Leon the Professional (3/5), Arsenic and Old Lace (4/5), The Searchers (2/5), Playtime (4/5), Star Wars: Episode III (3.5/5), The Player (3.5/5), A Few Good Men (3.5/5), Murder on the Orient Express (3/5), [Total:80]
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Jul 16, 2014 20:33
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friendo55 posted:The Deer Hunter (2014.07.12) - surprisingly know nothing at all about this one.. other than I should've watched it by now. Watch this one and tell me if I should add it to my list, as I also know zilch about it. - Terminator 2 - I liked the original more. Maybe I just wasn't in the right move for an action movie as I was largely bored by this film. I knew most of the iconic spots and lines, but I didn't smile at any of them. I respect the hell out of it, as the liquid metal effects I could see blowing my teenage mind, but it didn't connect with me in 2014. Good sequel, but not my thing. - SHAMELIST: (in order of longest time on this list) The Sound of Music - I feel filthy that I've never seen this. Something about Nazis, right? And spinning in a field of grass. Nazis spinning around in fields of grass? gently caress yeah. Wreck-It Ralph - After WALL·E, I want some more interesting animation. And this is right down my wheelhouse. Rocky - The only Rocky I've seen is the fourth one. I would like to see the first one, at least. Rashomon - Seven Samurai was good, but didn't enrapture me. I want to try this one, which sounds like it has a more intriguing premise. Also, only 88 minutes long makes it too tempting. Highlander - I have no idea if this movie is any good at all. So chalk this up to "cultural significance." Thunderball - Bond Movie #4. Skipping Goldfinger, which I already know in and out. Some Like It Hot - I know exactly three things about this movie: it has Marilyn Monroe in is, crossdressing happens, and I think there is a train. Rain Man - I just finished a book on memory and it discussed the inspiration for this movie. Seems a good justification to finally see it. Robocop - Entry number three in the Metal Men I Must See filmography. De-shamed (48): Raiders of the Lost Arc; Alien; Blade Runner; The Godfather; Casablanca; Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom; The Godfather Part II; Die Hard; Grave of the Fireflies; Aliens; A Fistful of Dollars; One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest; Network; Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade; Schindler's List; Superman; Dr. No; Rear Window; Young Frankenstein; Jaws; Akira; The Shining; American Psycho; Metropolis; The Graduate; The Birds; Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure; WALL·E; American History X; The Third Man; Blue Velvet; Seven Samurai; Notorious; Lawrence of Arabia; La Dolce Vita; The Jerk; Videodrome; Deliverance; Ed Wood; Mulholland Drive; From Russia With Love; Rebel Without A Cause; Senna; Groundhog Day; The Terminator; Who Framed Roger Rabbit; Goodfellas; Terminator 2
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Jul 18, 2014 06:00
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Gonna go with Wreck-it Ralph. Really like all of Disney's recent CG animated films in general for that matter if you haven't watched them yet. My List: 1. Hot Fuzz - The only film of the Cornetto Ice Cream Trilogy that I haven't seen yet, despite being regarded as arguably the best. 2. 21 Jump Street - Didn't get around to seeing it when it came out, but love Lord and Miller's work on both Clone High and The Lego Movie. 3. Monty Python's Life of Brian - See Hot Fuzz but replace the Cornetto Ice Cream Trilogy with The Holy Grail and Meaning of Life. 4. The Avengers - I actually went to see this in a double feature at a drive-in across the border from me, but I think the projector light was almost burnt out or something, making the movie virtually unwatchable, so we left fairly early on, and I just haven't gotten around to picking it back up since. 5. This is the End - Piqued my interest and I heard all around good things when it came out but just haven't gotten around to watching it yet. 6. Inglorious Basterds - Currently only have Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Django Unchained under my belt for Tarantino, so I figured I'd pick this one up next. 7. Alien - Sci-fi and horror in general are both genres that I haven't had enough experience with, so I'll consider this a twofer.  8. Star Wars: A New Hope - Familiar with most of the major story beats of this and the rest of the trilogy from all of the countless pop culture references, but never actually sat down and watched the films themselves as of yet. 9. Back to the Future - Much like Star Wars, know a good chunk of the story but have somehow evaded actually watching it thus far. 10. My Neighbor Totoro - I haven't watched nearly enough Studio Ghibli material and this seems like as good a place as any to start filling that out. Trash Boat fucked around with this message at 02:55 on Jul 19, 2014 |
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Jul 19, 2014 00:13
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Trash Boat posted:3. Monty Python's Life of Brian - See Hot Fuzz but replace the Cornetto Ice Cream Trilogy with The Holy Grail and Meaning of Life. I finally get to choose from a list where I've seen a majority of the films listed (9 to be exact). This movie is my favorite of the Python bunch and probably one of my five favorite comedies ever. If you enjoyed Holy Grail and Meaning of Life, you'll enjoy this too. My 100th movie was a fantastic one and something that I'll likely look at as one of the finest movies I've ever seen. Ben-Hur is such a beautiful film that I'm not sure what to pinpoint in it. As corny as Heston got in Planet of the Apes, he was really powerful in this movie and I could always feel the sense of determination, guilt, and anger in him as his story progressed. The best thing about the movie was how well it was shot and how everything had such a sense of grandness to it. The backdrop behind the Roman elites conveyed their stature so well, and the backdrop behind the lower class, the convicted, and the lepers felt of a dirty, wretched place that felt like the depths of humanity. For such a long movie as this, it went by much quicker than I anticipated. The story was engaging and did a very good job in my mind of pacing itself between building characters and showing important events. A lot of this has to do with a really good show by the supporting characters. This was a movie about Ben-Hur himself, but I found myself interested in a great deal of the supporting characters so that when they were center stage, I wasn't really missing Heston. Another thing of note is how engaging the story was. I am not a religious person by any means, and I know the story of Jesus as much as anyone who grew up in a Christian church. I felt like this was just a great telling of that period from a different perspective. It also never pushed religion at me, it was just telling an epic tale. I also have to mention the chariot scene because it's the one thing I knew going into this film. I had such great expectations for it, and it's certainly something when those expectations are not only met but met with surprise. The fact that it still looks so great over 50 years later says everything you need to know about the production value of this film. New List: 1. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - Another movie that lives in lore that I've never seen. 2. Three Colors: Blue - I remember seeing the trilogy brought up quite a bit from other lists. Might as well take a look myself. 3. Oldboy - Everyone always says great things about Oldboy. I might as well actually watch it. This is the original version of course. 4. The Hustler - I haven't seen a Paul Newman movie in a while, and this has always been part of cinematic lore. 5. Modern Times - The last movie in imdb's top 50 I haven't seen until some above average action movie slips in. 6. Grave of the Fireflies - I'll try a non-Miyazaki Ghibli film. I know this gets a lot more dark. 7. Ran - Kurosawa hasn't been on this list in a while. I would definitely like to look into his work more. Best Picture Bonanza (32/86) 8. Wings - I've set a goal to watch every movie that won best picture which I'm a bit over a third of the way through. 9. Rain Man - I guess I know the premise, but I've never really thought of seeing it. 10. Argo - The only best picture of the 2010s I haven't seen. Watched Count 100: Chinatown, 12 Angry Men, Gone With the Wind, Casablanca, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Godfather Part I, The Godfather Part II, Goodfellas, Do the Right Thing, A Clockwork Orange, Wall-E, Citizen Kane, Aliens, The Shawshank Redemption, Back to the Future, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Dr. Strangelove, Raging Bull, Rear Window, The Green Mile, Braveheart, Apocalypse Now, Seven Samurai, The Great Escape, City of God, Vertigo, Blue Velvet, Ratatouille, All Quiet on the Western Front, Mulholland Dr., Sunset Blvd., Bridge on the River Kwai, Memento, Unforgiven, The Usual Suspects, Network, The Social Network, Psycho, Black Swan, The Professional (Leon), Duck Soup, Up, The Silence of the Lambs, The Hurt Locker, Animal Crackers, American Beauty, The Princess Bride, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Great Dictator, The King's Speech, American History X, Taxi Driver, The Philadelphia Story, Cars, Dial M for Murder, Amélie, Spirited Away, North by Northwest, Paths of Glory, Some Like it Hot, On the Waterfront, Platoon, Annie Hall, Patton, Harvey, Nikita, Yojimbo, How to Train Your Dragon, To Kill a Mockingbird, This is Spinal Tap, Fargo, Sin City, Wayne's World, A Streetcar Named Desire, Barton Fink, Slumdog Millionaire, No Country for Old Men, Rashomon, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Wild Strawberries, Rebecca, Dog Day Afternoon, The Departed, The Graduate, V for Vendetta, My Neighbor Totoro, E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial, City Lights, Life is Beautiful, Stand by Me, The Artist, Howl's Moving Castle, Good Will Hunting, Planet of the Apes, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 12 Years a Slave, The Intouchables, The Grapes of Wrath, Ben-Hur marioinblack fucked around with this message at 06:03 on Jul 19, 2014 |
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Jul 19, 2014 05:41
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I'm going to do a little reflection on the 100 films this thread has brought me. The great thing about all of them, is I felt like every single one of them was worth their watch. Going into this thread a few years ago, I was always curious about older movies; however, I never really thought about pushing forward and watching them. I was like a lot of people and enjoyed my big budget action and comedy films, but I had seen some great classics and it never popped in my head to watch more of them. Once Upon a Time in the West is one of my favorite movies ever made, and I'll never understand why that didn't set me off to watch some of the films this thread has led me to see. During this time I've watched my first films by Kurosawa, Scorsese, Coppola, Miyazaki, Chaplin, the Marx Brothers, Welles, Lee, and Lynch. I've also seen 25 Best Picture winners. I've also watched what is now my favorite movie of all time Goodfellas and several movies I consider to be some of my favorites overall. Some of the movies left a greater impact when I reflect on them more. All Quiet on the Western Front and 12 Angry Men were certainly the two most movies that left the greatest impact in the long haul. There are other hard hitting movies that I saw, but these struck just the right note. In the future I'll try to give better reviews. I know I'm no expect on films, but I've typed out 100 thoughts on various movies so I have a bit of practice. I think I owe it to the newer people that were in my position to start to write what aspects I liked about certain films and what I might've not liked. The great thing is there are so many great movies that I've only touched the surface, I look forward to doing this for another 100+ films. This is my absolute favorite thread on this forum.
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Jul 19, 2014 06:03
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marioinblack posted:2. Three Colors: Blue - I remember seeing the trilogy brought up quite a bit from other lists. Might as well take a look myself. My favorite of the three. Swades - Like the other recent Indian films I've seen half the dialogue is in English and the other half in Hindi. It really takes its time to tell the story and often goes over the same concepts 2-3 times. The story is about a man (Shah Rukh Khan playing Mohan) who's had success working for NASA in the US but has a sudden urge to bring his long-lost nanny to the country and out of India. At times US culture is pitted against Indian culture and Mohan draws the ire of villagers as he gets too preachy about the things that need to be changed in India (the castes, child marriage and other traditions he doesn't like). There's also a love interest who's struggling to run a school. One of the main problems of the area is its lack of reliable electricity. Mohan helps the hamlet by harnessing the power of a local spring and using a turbine. There's also a lot of rural vs. city humor (villagers can't conceptualize the internet as one example). Overall I thought it was inspirational at times but after an hour of the film it's very easy to see where the next few hours are going. Procrastination (133 completed): #127 Breaker Morant - Heard this referenced before. 4/30/14 #134 Underground - Never seen a Emir Kusturica film but I've heard good things. 5/17/14 #135 Girl, Interrupted - Been meaning to see this for awhile. 6/17/14 #137 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives - One of those films that instantly got a lot of critical praise. 6/25/14 #138 Her - Something about an OS infatuation. 6/25/14 #139 Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Trying to see some newer things. 6/27/14 #140 Steel Magnolias - Flowers made out of metal. 7/6/14 #141 Fitzcarraldo - Sounds interesting. 7/11/14 James Bond versus Godzilla: Godzilla Raids Again - I watched the original a couple years back. I like this title as it sounds like Godzilla is getting right down to business after part I. 6/25/14 AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) (96/100 completed): new #63 Cabaret - I remember liking All That Jazz. 7/20/14
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Jul 20, 2014 06:26
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I'm going to go with Scott Pilgrim. Very different stylistically from the other Edgar Wright material I've, but I still found it thoroughly enjoyable regardless. Also watched Monty Python's Life of Brian, having only seen Always Look on the Bright Side of Life and the "what did the Romans ever do for us" scenes prior. Pretty much all of the absurdist alternate history style humor I loved in The Holy Grail is back in full force here, albeit more risque than it was there. I was surprised by the fact that, aside from the first couple of scenes, the religious satire that the film is known for doesn't really come fully into full effect until the second half, with the first half being largely permeated with more politically driven scenes. All in all though, probably my favourite of the Monty Python films, though I'd have to rewatch The Holy Grail again to say for sure. My List: 1. Hot Fuzz - The only film of the Cornetto Ice Cream Trilogy that I haven't seen yet, despite being regarded as arguably the best. 2. 21 Jump Street - Didn't get around to seeing it when it came out, but love Lord and Miller's work on both Clone High and The Lego Movie. 3. The Avengers - I actually went to see this in a double feature at a drive-in across the border from me, but I think the projector light was almost burnt out or something, making the movie virtually unwatchable, so we left fairly early on, and I just haven't gotten around to picking it back up since. 4. This is the End - Piqued my interest and I heard all around good things when it came out but just haven't gotten around to watching it yet. 5. Inglorious Basterds - Currently only have Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Django Unchained under my belt for Tarantino, so I figured I'd pick this one up next. 6. Alien - Sci-fi and horror in general are both genres that I haven't had enough experience with, so I'll consider this a twofer. 7. Star Wars: A New Hope - Familiar with most of the major story beats of this and the rest of the trilogy from all of the countless pop culture references, but never actually sat down and watched the films themselves as of yet. 8. Back to the Future - Much like Star Wars, know a good chunk of the story but have somehow evaded actually watching it thus far. 9. My Neighbor Totoro - I haven't watched nearly enough Studio Ghibli material and this seems like as good a place as any to start filling that out. 10. Fantasia - Considering my inclination towards animation in general, having never seen what is considered one of if not the the most groundbreaking animated films of all time is a definite sore spot on my film record. Deshamed (1): Monty Python's Life of Brian Trash Boat fucked around with this message at 08:41 on Jul 20, 2014 |
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Jul 20, 2014 08:36
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You should absolutely watch My Neighbor Totoro, no movie is as real, as My Neighbor Totoro, my man, you gotta watch My Neighbor Totoro 1. The Godfather - This is just one of those movies where I feel like I've absorbed so much from pop culture references and imitations, watching it seems kind of pointless. 2. Clockwork Orange - I dunno, I'm aware of parts, obviously, but really it just seems like it'd be very dark and nihilist and I've never particularly felt like watching it. Maybe I should read the book first, maybe that's a really lazy excuse? 3. Taxi Driver - I'm sort of aware of what this is, so I feel kind of spoiled. I dunno, I've seen plenty of other Scorcese movies, I bet I'll like it. 4. Rebel Without A Cause - I'm very unaware of this, but I know I should watch it. 5. Seven Samurai - I actually watched this when I was young, but I don't remember it, so y'know, it's more or less unwatched. 6. Casablanca - Same deal as Godfather 7. The Exorcist - I dunno, this seems like it'd be a relentless thing to watch and sometimes, I like to relax. 8. Breakfast At Tiffanys - I know nothing, but people seem to like it. 9. Vertigo/Psycho - I've watched almost no Hitchcock besides Rear Window, so I'm throwing out two that seem like they're things I should have seen by now 10. Citizen Kane - Again, this is just one of those things where I've seen it referenced all the time but uh, haven't watched it yet!
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Jul 20, 2014 12:21
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Hat Thoughts posted:1. The Godfather - This is just one of those movies where I feel like I've absorbed so much from pop culture references and imitations, watching it seems kind of pointless. I think you'll be surprised, in both cases. It's hard to pick between them, but go watch Casablanca. Rocky: This isn't something I've felt the need to say about many movies, but this film has a lot of heart. I was under the impression going in that it was mostly about boxing and training for boxing, which might just be due to the sequels and pop cultural osmosis, but it was really about Rocky and the people in his life. The central cast is made up of people trying to do their best and wishing they had ever had a chance to be great. The film puts a surprising amount of emphasis on the fact that Rocky gets his shot by pure luck, but once he gets it, he puts his effort not only into training as hard as he can, but also into helping the people who didn't get the same good fortune he did. He becomes a kind of vehicle for all of their hopes, and mine too I suppose. Also watched: The Long Good Friday. The complete flipside, about a guy on top who thinks he's untouchable and pays for it. Very much a classic tragedy, where you can pretty much tell what's coming a mile off, but it works all the better for it, especially as the other characters try to save him from disaster. Bob Hoskins gets a few chances to show off his acting chops, and does really well with them, especially in the lingering final shot of the film. And with that, I've now watched fifty films for this thread! _________________________ My Shame List: 1) Rio Grande: Another Ford/Wayne western for the western slot. (added 12/7/13) 2) The Fly: The Cronenberg one. (added 1/4/14) 3) La Dolce Vita: 8 1/2 was good. How about another Fellini? (added 1/4/14) 4) Galaxy Quest: Star Trek in all but name? (added 1/4/14) 5) Birth of a Nation: Continuing the "know thy enemy" series. (added 3/11/14) 6) Night of the Hunter: Don't know much about this beyond the knuckle tattoos. (added 5/5/14) 7) Stalker: Solaris is growing on me the more I think about it. Let's try another Tarkovsky. (added 6/30/14) 8) Eyes Wide Shut: Kubrick is a pretty cool guy. (added 7/7/14) 9) First Blood: Not what you'd expect from a Rambo movie, apparently. (added 7/20/14) 10) Scarface: The inspirational story of a small businessman who prospers in spite of Big Government regulations. Or something. (added 7/20/14) De-Shamed (50) [Top picks in bold]: The Thing, Casino Royale, Blue Velvet, Metropolis, Unforgiven, The Rock, Jurassic Park, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Shining, Videodrome, Inglourious Basterds, Battleship Potemkin, Con Air, Mulholland Drive, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Taxi Driver, Prometheus, Pan's Labyrinth, 8 1/2, Casino, Starship Troopers, The Big Lebowski, Nosferatu, Oldboy, 12 Angry Men, Drive, No Country for Old Men, The Exorcist, Ed Wood, Face/Off, Koyaanisqatsi, Kung Fu Hustle, Jacob's Ladder, Stagecoach, My Darling Clementine, Unbreakable, Lost Highway, Man with a Movie Camera, The General, Dog Day Afternoon, Forbidden Planet, Solaris, Triumph of the Will, Total Recall, The Graduate, Chinatown, Children of Men, Days of Heaven, Rocky, The Long Good Friday
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Jul 20, 2014 17:46
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Nolanar posted:2) The Fly: The Cronenberg one. (added 1/4/14) This is the only one from your list I have seen. It is good! Really good! Bonus points if you decide to cut apart and eat a whole chicken about 45 minutes in. - Wreck-It Ralph - Awwwwww, my heart melted. I loved every second of it. I loved every game that was referenced and mimicked, every incidental background shot, every plot element that circled back around and paid off. Everything. The only issue I had was entirely my own: occasionally, I would hear Ralph talk and think of Dr. Steve Brule:  The universe can be so kind sometimes. - SHAMELIST: (in order of longest time on this list) The Sound of Music - I feel filthy that I've never seen this. Something about Nazis, right? And spinning in a field of grass. Nazis spinning around in fields of grass? gently caress yeah. Rocky - The only Rocky I've seen is the fourth one. I would like to see the first one, at least. Rashomon - Seven Samurai was good, but didn't enrapture me. I want to try this one, which sounds like it has a more intriguing premise. Also, only 88 minutes long makes it too tempting. Highlander - I have no idea if this movie is any good at all. So chalk this up to "cultural significance." Thunderball - Bond Movie #4. Skipping Goldfinger, which I already know in and out. Some Like It Hot - I know exactly three things about this movie: it has Marilyn Monroe in is, crossdressing happens, and I think there is a train. Rain Man - I just finished a book on memory and it discussed the inspiration for this movie. Seems a good justification to finally see it. Robocop - Entry number three in the Metal Men I Must See filmography. The Goonies - I'm sick of hearing this is a classic and knowing nothing about it. I bet I'll hate it! But movie literacy is worth it, and who knows, I may be surprised. De-shamed (49): Raiders of the Lost Arc; Alien; Blade Runner; The Godfather; Casablanca; Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom; The Godfather Part II; Die Hard; Grave of the Fireflies; Aliens; A Fistful of Dollars; One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest; Network; Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade; Schindler's List; Superman; Dr. No; Rear Window; Young Frankenstein; Jaws; Akira; The Shining; American Psycho; Metropolis; The Graduate; The Birds; Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure; WALL·E; American History X; The Third Man; Blue Velvet; Seven Samurai; Notorious; Lawrence of Arabia; La Dolce Vita; The Jerk; Videodrome; Deliverance; Ed Wood; Mulholland Drive; From Russia With Love; Rebel Without A Cause; Senna; Groundhog Day; The Terminator; Who Framed Roger Rabbit; Goodfellas; Terminator 2: Judgment Day; Wreck-It Ralph Space Cob fucked around with this message at 05:37 on Jul 22, 2014 |
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Jul 21, 2014 17:39
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Space Cob, watch The Goonies. Every human being should see this film once. Watched Citizen Kane last night. I didn't know what to think at first but after sleeping on it, some of the images are just downright haunting. The thick black smoke coming out of the chimney, the endless sea of plundered artifacts and crates...all of it useless and hollow. I tend to not enjoy older films because of the acting style - it seems so wooden and rehearsed compared to modern cinema, but I didn't mind it as much in Citizen Kane. The camerawork, with the dissolving cuts and use of shadow, was worth watching it all by itself. I can see why this film is such a yardstick for cinematic craft. 8.5/10 My shame v5.0 1. Vertigo - Pretty drat shameful. 2. The Shining - equally shameful. 3. Blue Velvet - I've never seen a Lynch film. There, I said it. 4. Roshomon - I've seen Ran, Throne of Blood, and Kagemusha (loved them all) but not this one. 5. The Tree of Life - The Thin Red Line is my favorite war film, and really enjoyed Days of Heaven, but I wasn't so keen on The New World. Not sure how I'll feel about this one. 6. Cool Hand Luke - No excuse. 7. Chinatown - I love Nicholson but every time I sit down to watch this something interrupts me. 8. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Sitting in my Netflix queue for the last 2 years. 9. Her - My best friend keeps bugging me to see this one. 10. The Wild Bunch - my grandpa's go-to movie that I can't admit to him I haven't seen all the way through --------------------- Hall of De-Shame: Barton Fink (5/10); Schindler's List (10/10); Lawrence of Arabia (8/10); Citizen Kane 8.5/10)
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Jul 21, 2014 19:48
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If I may comment on one of your list entries; Blue Velvet is good, but it's quite a bit different than most other Lynch movies. The first Lynch feature I saw was Twin Peaks, and what I would probably recommend. However if you don't want to invest that much time, you might go with Eraserhead or Lost Highway. I mean, Blue Velvet is fine, just don't dismiss Lynch in the event you don't like it.
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Jul 21, 2014 23:06
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Dr.Caligari posted:If I may comment on one of your list entries; Blue Velvet is good, but it's quite a bit different than most other Lynch movies. The first Lynch feature I saw was Twin Peaks, and what I would probably recommend. However if you don't want to invest that much time, you might go with Eraserhead or Lost Highway. I mean, Blue Velvet is fine, just don't dismiss Lynch in the event you don't like it. To add to this, Lynch has a reputation for being extremely weird. And while Blue Velvet is certainly not your garden variety thriller, it's much more pedestrian in terms of its oddities compared to some of his other films. I do think Blue Velvet is the best launchpad though, because it provides the best balance. It's both accessible and just strange enough, whereas Lost Highway is borderline impenetrable. Twin Peaks is a great suggestion, though, for the same reasons. And I also strongly recommend The Elephant Man and The Straight Story as simpler, more straightforward Lynch movies that are nonetheless excellently told stories.
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Jul 21, 2014 23:47
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I'd definitely second the idea of starting Lynch with Twin Peaks, given how it eases you in to the Lynchiness of everything. That said, I started with Blue Velvet and got hooked anyway, so it's fine.
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Jul 22, 2014 00:24
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Don't be a wuss. Start with Inland Empire. I started with Eraserhead.
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Jul 22, 2014 00:28
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Unzip and Attack posted:4. Roshomon - I've seen Ran, Throne of Blood, and Kagemusha (loved them all) but not this one. Rashomon is one of my fav Kurosawa if only because it is so different from his others. I showed it to my Seniors each year during our film analysis unit and the overall high school reaction was "wtf". Hope you enjoy. Well, finally watched 8 1/2 this weekend. I had no expectations or assumptions about this one other than it's usually way up there on director's choice lists and so on. It felt like watching someone's dreams, both daydreams and involuntary night ones. That seems to be what Fellini was going for, and I can't say there's been many movies I've seen that gave me a similar sense of dread and cringing. There were many moments of levity, of course, fueled mostly by his self-deprecation and doubt, and perhaps the real reason I felt so wound-up watching it was that I recognized myself in so much of it, especially w/r/t the question of how much of yourself you put into your creative work and of being intimidated by your own successes to the point of complete self-loathing. Yeah, I didn't know what to rate this after watching it, but now after a few days of thinking about it, it's got to be 10/10. I know subsequent viewings will reveal many more layers/details. Oh yeah we watched The Usual Suspects a few weeks ago and it was pretty good. I only wanted more Benicio Del Toro on screen. According to shortlist.com, "Benicio Del Toro decided that he was playing a "Black Chinese Puerto Rican Jew" and "deliberately made his dialogue unintelligible as his character was only there to die and set an example to the others. He didn't believe that anyone would care what he had to say." Predicted the ending from the beginning, but it was still fun. 6/10 13. Yi Yi - it's on so many top 10/50/100 lists but I've never gotten to it. 2. Solaris - the last Tarkovsky - Stalker - had me squirming with boredom (the book had me believing that the movie was going to be amazing). 3. Witness for the Prosecution - Courtroom dramas can really just go on. 16. Baraka - I dunno. 19. L'Atalante - One of the TSPDT top 20 so it'll probably be good. 6. Alone in the Wilderness - just recently heard about this one while doing research for something else. 7. The Lives of Others - I enjoy espionage stuff, but this has always felt like it could be too heavy. 18. In the Mood for Love - #1 of TSPDT's top 250 from the 21st Century...guess I should get on this. 12. Y Tu Mama Tambien - skipped over this in college; never returned to my old lists. 10. The Princess Bride - I remember nothing else of this film other than the torture scene when my parents took me to see it when I was 4, and I had to be carried out crying. I've had a block against it since, even though everyone I know loves it. artichoke fucked around with this message at 00:46 on Jul 22, 2014 |
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Jul 22, 2014 00:35
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I'll get in on this thread.artichoke posted:12. Y Tu Mama Tambien - skipped over this in college; never returned to my old lists. Watched this myself recently, had a ton of fun with it. My list: 1) Once Upon a Time in the West - Watched the Dollars trilogy for the first time recently: thoroughly enjoyed it. I hear this is similar. 2) Rashomon - Got a Kurosawa collection recently, this seems to be the one that it should have but doesn't. 3) Casablanca - Somehow never seen it. 4) Citizen Kane - Keep getting scared that it won't live up to expectations. 5) Psycho - See reason for number 4. 6) Metropolis - Only recently been getting into old black and white films so I should watch this at some point. 7) Big Trouble in Little China - I love Kurt Russell so God only knows how this one evaded me. 8) Boogie Nights - Heard it's good? 9) The Brood - I love David Cronenberg. 10) Brazil - If it's similar to 1984... Injun Greenberg fucked around with this message at 01:12 on Jul 23, 2014 |
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Jul 23, 2014 01:09
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Stargate- I haven't seen too many Kurosawa, but Rashomon is my favorite so far, so go with that. Persona was definitely not what I was expecting. Unlike The Seventh Seal, which I thought to be both relatively accessible and genuine 'art film', Persona was a straight up art film. I think it would take several viewings to 'get it' all , but like Stalker (which I watched several weeks ago) I became so lost that I gave up trying to figure it out and ended up watching a movie that seemed to drag. I should really probably revisit this when I am in the mood and able to give 100% for the entire duration. 1. Videodrome - An actual shameful one, and one that seems to keep popping up everywhere. 2. Pandora's Box - Don't know much about it. 3. Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrance - Know nothing about this, but it is a Criterion release and sounds interesting enough. 4. Moonrise Kingdom - Never seen any Anderson, so I think I'll start here 5. Young Mr. Lincoln - I don't know if I have been disappointed by a John Ford movie yet. 6. Eyes without a face - I needed some horror on this list 7. Fort Apache - I'm stealing this one from TrixRabbi's list 8. Red River - I don't consider myself a fan of Westerns, but I can't say I've seen too many I didn't enjoy 9. Cat O' Nine Tails- Next up in the Argento 'Animal' trilogy 10.Assault on Precinct 13- I liked They Live Seen: Rio Bravo, Days of Heaven, Hoop Dreams, The Exterminating Angel, Hopscotch, Letter Never Sent, Stagecoach(1939), I shot Jesse James, The Trial, The Wild Bunch, Man Bites Dog, The Pianist, Viridiana, Badlands. Aliens, Easy Rider, Paris Texas, The 400 Blows, Touch of Evil, La Strada, Fog of War, Gaslight, Make Way for Tomorrow, M, The Bird with the Crystal Plummage, Nashville,Miracle in Milan,Cinemania, Persona
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Jul 24, 2014 06:03
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I haven't actually seen any of your movies, but a random number generator tells me that you should go with Young Mr. Lincoln. Just watched My Neighbor Totoro (and more specifically, the Disney dub version) last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. The relationship dynamic between the two girls was great and, for as little as he actually appears despite the film's namesake, I loved the more surreal direction taken with most if not all of Totoro's scenes. I also adored the film's musical score throughout, particularly one specific leitmotif that occurs a few times over the course of the film. Definitely a good start to my massive Studio Ghibli backlog. My List: 1. Hot Fuzz - The only film of the Cornetto Ice Cream Trilogy that I haven't seen yet, despite being regarded as arguably the best. 2. 21 Jump Street - Didn't get around to seeing it when it came out, but love Lord and Miller's work on both Clone High and The Lego Movie. 3. The Avengers - I actually went to see this in a double feature at a drive-in across the border from me, but I think the projector light was almost burnt out or something, making the movie virtually unwatchable, so we left fairly early on, and I just haven't gotten around to picking it back up since. 4. This is the End - Piqued my interest and I heard all around good things when it came out but just haven't gotten around to watching it yet. 5. Inglorious Basterds - Currently only have Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Django Unchained under my belt for Tarantino, so I figured I'd pick this one up next. 6. Alien - Sci-fi and horror in general are both genres that I haven't had enough experience with, so I'll consider this a twofer. 7. Star Wars: A New Hope - Familiar with most of the major story beats of this and the rest of the trilogy from all of the countless pop culture references, but never actually sat down and watched the films themselves as of yet. 8. Back to the Future - Much like Star Wars, know a good chunk of the story but have somehow evaded actually watching it thus far. 9. Fantasia - Considering my inclination towards animation in general, having never seen what is considered one of if not the the most groundbreaking animated films of all time is a definite sore spot on my film record. 10. Grave of the Fireflies - Continuing through Ghibli's work with what I've generally seen regarded as their darkest film. Deshamed (2): Monty Python's Life of Brian, My Neighbor Totoro Trash Boat fucked around with this message at 04:21 on Jul 25, 2014 |
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Jul 25, 2014 04:08
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Trash Boat, you get Alien. Can't wait to read your review. Just finished Rashomon. I didn't like it as much as I expected to but I wonder how much of that was unrealistic expectations. I really enjoyed the use of shadows and light in the film, and the actors did a superb job playing different roles within roles as the narrative switched between vantage points. There were a few scenes that were just cringeworthy though. During the farmer's version of the duel, the combatants started out convincingly fearful (which was a great contrast to the brash fearlessness they portrayed in the other versions) but it soon devolved into one of the most absurd scenes I've ever witnessed in a Kurosawa film. The duelists overacted their ineptitude to the point where both men couldn't even stand up without immediately falling back down for no discernable reason. I'm probably being overly critical but man that whole part really soured the whole experience for me. The one consolation is that perhaps it didn't really happen that way and the farmer is showing his bias but I don't find that very convincing. Additionally, I found the whole thing with the baby to be very strange and for me, it really interrupted the narrative. The film had a very good flow for the first half or so but then went off in strange directions, leading to an unsatisfying conclusion for me. 7/10 My shame v6.0 1. Vertigo - Pretty drat shameful. 2. The Shining - equally shameful. 3. Blue Velvet - I've never seen a Lynch film. There, I said it. 4. Sunset Blvd. - My aversion to older films has kept me from viewing this one. 5. The Tree of Life - The Thin Red Line is my favorite war film, and really enjoyed Days of Heaven, but I wasn't so keen on The New World. Not sure how I'll feel about this one. 6. Cool Hand Luke - No excuse. 7. Chinatown - I love Nicholson but every time I sit down to watch this something interrupts me. 8. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Sitting in my Netflix queue for the last 2 years. 9. Her - My best friend keeps bugging me to see this one. 10. The Wild Bunch - my grandpa's go-to movie that I can't admit to him I haven't seen all the way through --------------------- Hall of De-Shame: Barton Fink (5/10); Schindler's List (10/10); Lawrence of Arabia (8/10); Citizen Kane (8.5/10); Rashomon (7/10)
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Jul 25, 2014 16:08
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Unzip and Attack, you've got a lot of great stuff on your list, but go with The Tree of Life, as it's a pretty unique film I waited to watch The Umbrellas of Cherbourg until I got the Demy box set in the Criterion sale and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It was beautifully shot and at once heartbreaking and hopeful. My main quarrel with it though is that while the idea of all dialogue being sung was very well executed, it just seemed kind of unnecessary. I still really enjoyed it and thought it was very well done. I love musicals, so I was more than willing to fall for this film. I'm excited to see more of Demy's work. 1) Le Deuxieme Souffle- love that Melville 2) Carlos- everyone I know who has seen this raves about it 3) Dead Man- haven't seen much Jarmusch, this looks interesting 4) Bringing Up Baby- I like early screwball comedies 5) The Red Shoes- everyone seems to love this film 6) The Music Room- never seen a Sanjit Ray movie 7) Stalag 17- I love all the Wilder I've seen so far 8) The Wolf Man- more Universal monsters 9) Swing Time- last musical on the AFI top 100 I haven't seen 10) A League of Their Own- I know the famous line, but that's about it. Is this any good? New List of Unshamed: The Invisible Man; Paris, Texas; Dr Strangelove, Ran, Stripes, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Throne of Blood, Touch of Evil, Blow Out, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Sound of Music, The Apartment, The Rules of the Game, The Last Picture Show, Bicycle Thieves, Manhattan, The Conversation, All That Jazz, Two Lane Blacktop, The Deer Hunter, Island of Lost Souls, Tokyo Story, Nashville, A Woman Under the Influence, The Earrings of Madame de..., Rope, The Phantom Carriage, The Magnificent Seven, Go West, Cabaret, Five Easy Pieces, To Live and Die in L.A., A Fistful of Dollars, The Nightmare Before Christmas, For A Few Dollars More, Sanjuro, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Great Dictator, Around The World In 80 Days, Our Hospitality, Rain Man, Thief, Gun Crazy, It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World, The Act of Killing, Rebel Without A Cause, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
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Jul 25, 2014 21:04
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Mistletoe Donkey posted:7) Stalag 17- I love all the Wilder I've seen so far Three Colors: Blue certainly shows that you can't really escape the past. This was quite an interesting story showcasing the attempt of isolation and how human nature and our flaws really prevent us from ever letting go of the past. This movie was full of symbolism, but I never felt that it was overbearing. The way the story lent itself in such a way that the symbolism shown more or less intertwined with the events instead of took away from what was going on. A well done film with a very well done lead performance and strong enough supporting players to keep the tide flowing. I double dipped since I kept getting hounded by someone I work with to watch Grave of the Fireflies. It's hard to stack this against Miyazaki's Studo Ghibli films because it's so different. I will say this story hit hard, really hard. This is on par with films like Schindler's List when it comes to causing a strong emotional response. In fact I think this hit harder because Schindler's List has the silver lining at the end where this does not. One thing that can be said is it's one of the great movies about the consequences of war I've ever seen. The reason I was in tears was because of the way it not only portrayed these consequences, but realizing just how real this movie is and the effect war has brought on so many societies over hundreds of years. This is one of the more powerful movies I've seen, and I feel like it's a movie everyone needs to see. New List: 1. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - Another movie that lives in lore that I've never seen. 2. Three Colors: White - Continuing the trilogy. 3. Oldboy - Everyone always says great things about Oldboy. I might as well actually watch it. This is the original version of course. 4. The Hustler - I haven't seen a Paul Newman movie in a while, and this has always been part of cinematic lore. 5. Modern Times - The last movie in imdb's top 50 I haven't seen until some above average action movie slips in. 6. Kiki's Delivery Service - I think I'll ease up my animated slot a bit after Grave of the Fireflies. 7. Ran - Kurosawa hasn't been on this list in a while. I would definitely like to look into his work more. Best Picture Bonanza (32/86) 8. Wings - I've set a goal to watch every movie that won best picture which I'm a bit over a third of the way through. 9. Rain Man - I guess I know the premise, but I've never really thought of seeing it. 10. Argo - The only best picture of the 2010s I haven't seen. Watched Count 102: Chinatown, 12 Angry Men, Gone With the Wind, Casablanca, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Godfather Part I, The Godfather Part II, Goodfellas, Do the Right Thing, A Clockwork Orange, Wall-E, Citizen Kane, Aliens, The Shawshank Redemption, Back to the Future, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Dr. Strangelove, Raging Bull, Rear Window, The Green Mile, Braveheart, Apocalypse Now, Seven Samurai, The Great Escape, City of God, Vertigo, Blue Velvet, Ratatouille, All Quiet on the Western Front, Mulholland Dr., Sunset Blvd., Bridge on the River Kwai, Memento, Unforgiven, The Usual Suspects, Network, The Social Network, Psycho, Black Swan, The Professional (Leon), Duck Soup, Up, The Silence of the Lambs, The Hurt Locker, Animal Crackers, American Beauty, The Princess Bride, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Great Dictator, The King's Speech, American History X, Taxi Driver, The Philadelphia Story, Cars, Dial M for Murder, Amélie, Spirited Away, North by Northwest, Paths of Glory, Some Like it Hot, On the Waterfront, Platoon, Annie Hall, Patton, Harvey, Nikita, Yojimbo, How to Train Your Dragon, To Kill a Mockingbird, This is Spinal Tap, Fargo, Sin City, Wayne's World, A Streetcar Named Desire, Barton Fink, Slumdog Millionaire, No Country for Old Men, Rashomon, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Wild Strawberries, Rebecca, Dog Day Afternoon, The Departed, The Graduate, V for Vendetta, My Neighbor Totoro, E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial, City Lights, Life is Beautiful, Stand by Me, The Artist, Howl's Moving Castle, Good Will Hunting, Planet of the Apes, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 12 Years a Slave, The Intouchables, The Grapes of Wrath, Ben-Hur, Three Colors: Blue, Grave of the Fireflies
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Jul 26, 2014 17:09
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Haven't seen Argo myself but heard all-around good things about it. Good to get the current 2010's Best Pictures out of the way as well. Absolutely loved Alien from start to finish. The key thing that really stood out to me was how silent much of the film was in the music department, which did an excellent job of really punctuating every single sound (or lack of one). The film is also easily a prime example of pacing done right, with the first half of the film being largely dedicated to creating a slow build and fully establishing the creature in it's younger forms, in order to really accentuate the impact when the fully grown creature finally does come into play. It also does an excellent job of using the atmosphere, setting and the aforementioned sound design to create tension, with the actual monster physically appearing only a handful of times, and usually not in clear view at that. All in all, an excellent film, and one that I'll definitely have to rewatch at some point. My List: 1. Hot Fuzz - The only film of the Cornetto Ice Cream Trilogy that I haven't seen yet, despite being regarded as arguably the best. 2. 21 Jump Street - Didn't get around to seeing it when it came out, but love Lord and Miller's work on both Clone High and The Lego Movie. 3. The Avengers - I actually went to see this in a double feature at a drive-in across the border from me, but I think the projector light was almost burnt out or something, making the movie virtually unwatchable, so we left fairly early on, and I just haven't gotten around to picking it back up since. 4. This is the End - Piqued my interest and I heard all around good things when it came out but just haven't gotten around to watching it yet. 5. Inglorious Basterds - Currently only have Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Django Unchained under my belt for Tarantino, so I figured I'd pick this one up next. 6. Star Wars: A New Hope - Familiar with most of the major story beats of this and the rest of the trilogy from all of the countless pop culture references, but never actually sat down and watched the films themselves as of yet. 7. Back to the Future - Much like Star Wars, know a good chunk of the story but have somehow evaded actually watching it thus far. 8. Fantasia - Considering my inclination towards animation in general, having never seen what is considered one of if not the the most groundbreaking animated films of all time is a definite sore spot on my film record. 9. Grave of the Fireflies - Continuing through Ghibli's work with what I've generally seen regarded as their darkest film. 10. Aliens - Heard this is more action driven than the original but about equally good and largely comes down to personal preference. Curious as to which one I'll prefer. Deshamed (3): Monty Python's Life of Brian, My Neighbor Totoro, Alien
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Jul 26, 2014 21:22
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